It’s a sign of the times—and the City of Kelowna doesn’t like it.
The proliferation of temporary signs popping up on public property around the Kelowna has caught the attention of city hall again, and this time the city is cracking down financially.
City hall will now require applicants who want to erect temporary signs to pay $75 for each sign up for 30 days or less and $175 for each sign up between 31 days and 60 days. Signs up between 61 days and 90 days will cost $350 each for a permit.
The city has not has changed the fees for signs since the original sign bylaw was introduced 20 years ago.
City staff say the new fee structure is in place in a bid to discourage businesses from leaving “temporary” signs up for long lengths of time.
According to one city councillor, some signs have been up for more than 10 years.
Coun. Luke Stack said he feels it’s time the city started monitoring the situation.
In the past, the city has considered prohibiting temporary signs.
Under Kelowna’s sign bylaw, no one is legally be allowed to keep a temporary sign up for longer than three months.
The move to hike the fees for temporary signs on public propoerty appeared to garner views from councillors.
While Coun. Maxine DeHart found the new fees to be “kind of steep,” she said the need to raise them appears lays with the city because it has not done so in the past.
“Shame on us as a city,” she said.
City planing manager Ryan Smith said additional staff will likely have to be hired to police the new sign rules and revenue raised from the new fees will help pay for that.
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